Tag: reflection

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hst137

Third (and Final) Real Reflection

In the beginning of the semester, the weekly new content was kind of chronological, so I thought that I would learn the history of Early China using according to the timeline. However, soon enough, I realized that tangible objects and physical places drove the topics of discussion, not the time period. Since grade school, history classes typically focused from the general era, place, or event to the specific object or person. Through this course, I learned in reverse; studying specific items from the past shows a lot about the society back then. Furthermore, using objects as a “portal” into history was more fun and captivating as a student. Common as well as special objects provide insight into societal thoughts, beliefs, and unwritten rules. I could learn about the individual items and apply what I discover to the time period. I feel as though I actually learned more this way. It felt less forced and I became eager for the next week.

This course changed my perspective on history. I think I was always confused by history because it felt as though I was trying to understand what happened in the past through my cultural bias formed from my experience in the present. Although I am sure I still instinctively judge new cultures, I think I grew more aware of my unwarranted prejudice and train myself to stop myself and look at them again, intentionally to learn from them.

For the General Academic Requirement, I think I earned the DE credit. People, including myself are very good at detecting all the differences between what is theirs and what is not. It is how we bring order to the world by categorizing. Unfortunately, we all stop there; something is lacking. HST137 prepared me to appreciate the differences because the world is becoming “an increasingly diverse and interconnected world.” It is not to turn a blind eye to the distinguishing factors, but to study them for the sake of educating myself and especially acknowledging others’ experiences. Now, instead of being afraid to share my thoughts, I feel more confident in contributing them because of the skills of analysis, consciousness, and understanding built from this course.

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hst137

Reflection on Western Collectors

My initial post was about the aesthetics that attracted Western collectors and the gradual change in taste, from art pieces that were considered not valuable to the Chinese to those that were invaluable. There were differences in design and color palette that distinguished between chinoiserie art and traditional Chinese art.

Some of my classmates, the ones that delved deeper into the ethics of obtaining and collecting Chinese artworks, studied Western collectors from a completely different perspective.

Before reading about the argument surrounding the ethics of Western collection of Chinese art, I was very sure of my stance that looting of the art is wrong and should not have been done. As I learned, however, even the act of stealing and the movement of artworks are parts of history itself that cannot be undone. Today, in large art museums, for example, people can see antiques and learn about foreign cultures through art, even ones that were wrongfully stolen. Regardless of the collector’s intentions (to let Westerners expand their thinking of the world through art or to simply take based on value), ultimately, if it was taken without permission and/or an equally valued exchange, it was stolen. Furthermore, I also realized that while returning these pieces of art is ideally the right step to take, repatriation of art is definitely easier said than done.

Things I Learned this Week

  • Even in history, specifically ethics, everything is not black and white.
  • Aesthetics depends on culture.
  • Chinoiserie is an imitation of Chinese art and design, made for European taste.

Bibliographic References

Metrick-Chen, Lenore. Collecting Objects/excluding People : Chinese Subjects and American Visual Culture, 1830-1900. Albany N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 2012.

Netting, Lara Jaishree. A Perpetual Fire : John C. Ferguson and His Quest for Chinese Art and Culture. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2013.

“The Treasures of China”, by Justin Jacobs. Indiana Jones in History: From Pompei to the Moon.

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hst137

Reflection on Chinese Art Collectors and Counterfeits

Before reading the basic set (Craig Clunas’s Superfluous Things…), I randomly decided to focus my blog post on ceramics. The passage has less information on ceramics than calligraphy and bronzes. I tried to address the multiple leading questions I had to answer, but some of them are not discussed in the sphere of ceramics. One question that I was unable to answer was how collectors authenticized ceramic objects. For calligraphy, I learned from Hannah’s post that a proper label, mark, or seal would more likely be on genuine, original calligraphic works.

However, the absence of information makes sense; forgery and counterfeits in ceramics occurred less frequently than in calligraphy and bronzes because the creating process requires additional effort to mold and fire the object to at least appear real.

This week encouraged me to continue digging into this topic for my final research idea, specifically to figure out what distinguished counterfeit ceramics from genuine ceramics.

Things I Learned this Week

  • Forgery in calligraphy was difficult to authenticize by analyzing handwriting.
  • Authentication in calligraphy can be done by finding an official label, mark, or seal on the writing.
  • Calligraphic and bronze counterfeits were more common than ceramic counterfeits.

Bibliographic Reference

Clunas, Craig. Superfluous Things: Material Culture and Social Status in Early Modern China. Honolulu: Univ Of Hawai’i Press, 2016.

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hst137

Reflection on Week 11’s Artisans and Craftsmen

I was able to learn from my classmates’ blog posts about the social status and societal expectation of artisans. I would like to clarify my past points. Although artisans were praised and appreciated for their work and the beautiful products they created, they were stuck in their social standing in society. It was very difficult for them to raise their status. There was an unspoken but established understanding that artisans made up their own category of people as “outlandish” as Stephen wrote in his initial post this week. This understanding manifested into the “perfect artisan” concept: artisans should maintain their focus on their own work and not become a part of mainstream society. By establishing and separating a group from others, ultimately the people in the group will not be able to change their status because they are considered the fundamentally different from the rest, the idea of othering.

Things I Learned this Week

  • What makes up the “perfect artisan.”
  • Multiple layers of involuntary labor: indentured servitude, imprisoned labor, conscripted labor, etc.
  • Government rules were established and actually followed, according to historical account, to prevent the exploitation of the common people.

Bibliographic References

Barbieri-Low, Anthony J. Artisans in Early Imperial China. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2007.

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hst137

Reflection on Ceramics and Porcelain

The discussion with other students via Hypothes.is was helpful and insightful. I studied the workforce behind and the types of kilns for porcelain from the readings. From my classmates’ posts and additional readings, I learned the history and production of porcelain. Porcelain was first made in the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). It then was popularized and expanded in the following era, in the Ming dynasty (1368-1844). There are different kinds of porcelain, depending on the region and time period, and each have its own techniques, glazes, and appearances that make up its identity. Chinese porcelain was valuable in trade and ended up in various parts of the world. However, despite porcelain’s rich history, specific directions on how to create porcelain was not recorded or shared until the 17th century–several centuries after its discovery.

Similar to printmaking, there was a lack of attention to the creating process of porcelain until much later. The artists and laborers that make these important objects were also not the focus of history, despite their major role in society.

Things I Learned this Week

  • There was an ambiguous coexistence between imperial and private kilns.
  • Jingdezhen is known for the making of porcelain.
  • Emperors oversaw the production process of porcelain because of how important the porcelain objects were.

Bibliographic References

Finlay, Robert. “The Pilgrim Art: The Culture of Porcelain in World History.” Journal of World History 9, no. 2 (1998): 141-87.

Gerritsen, Anne. The City of Blue and White : Chinese Porcelain and the Early Modern World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.

Ho, Soleil. “The Rich, Complex History Hiding Within Chinese Plate Designs”. Thrillist, June 10, 2019. URL: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/chinese-plate-design-history

Slides

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hst137

Reflection on Books & Ink

During the week, I was able to read the first chapter of Joseph Peter McDermott’s A Social History of the Chinese Book : Books and Literati Culture in Late Imperial China. I learned about the (ambiguous) origins of printing and techniques, for example, for woodblock making. A surviving copy of the Jingang jing, published in 868 during the Tang era, appears to be the “oldest extant printed book” (11). However, Buddhist, Korean, and Japanese charms were created in the eighth century, using similar printing techniques (11). Evidence points to similar printings were occurring across East Asia, making it difficult to officialize the origin of printing.

The procedure of printmaking was not recorded in detail when these various prints were made; there were only brief notes from foreign observers that align with the time period of printing (12). The process of printmaking was revealed in the twentieth century in an interview, “some 1,200 years after the discovery of printing” (12). This discrepancy highlights the phrase that Dr. Dorothy Ko used, “head over hands.” There is a hierarchical aspect that distinguishes scholars and commissioners from artisans and craftsman. While there is more information about the commissioners, there is a limited amount of information about the art process, let alone about the artists.

Things I Learned this Week

  • The discovery of printing is debatable.
  • There is an established hierarchy between scholars and artisans.
  • Early Chinese emperors are materialistic and oversee the production of crafts.

Bibliographic References

McDermott, Joseph Peter. A Social History of the Chinese Book : Books and Literati Culture in Late Imperial China. Understanding China. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2006.

Podcast: New Books in East Asian Studies, interview with Dorothy Ko, author of The Social Life of Inkstones.

Slides

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hst137

Reflection on Money and Currency

I learned significantly from reading classmates’ posts, commenting on those posts, and reading other comments this week. When a change is implemented that concerns money, the entire society is affected, regardless of who or what–individuals, families, companies, governments. I have thought about the following idea constantly during the week: learning about the functions of and different stages of currency (coins, grains, textiles, and paper) allows me to learn about the various time periods from the same economic standpoint. Looking at something small consistently offers a fresh understanding to the values, ideals, and “main ideas” of each dynasty. By tracking the changes that occur over time, it automatically creates a timeline of history with money, or more generally, currency, as the variable in question.

In addition, I was able to learn so much from my classmates because I discussed the gods of wealth in my blog post, while my classmates focused on currency itself and provided an excellent overview of the history of currency in early China.

Three Things I Learned this Week

  • An expiration date was placed on money to encourage its use to maintain the economy.
  • Paper money was not successful.
  • Values of currency varied because the means of measurement varied.

Bibliographic References

Horesh, Niv. Chinese Money in Global Context : Historic Junctures between 600 BCE and 2012. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2014.

Von Glahn, Richard. The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.

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hst137

Second Real Reflection

Given the circumstances we are all in, learning is different this year. Classes are all online and synchronous, asynchronous, or partially synchronous. Unlike most of my other courses throughout college, this course does not have exams. Personally, having exams to prepare for on a monthly basis works for me; it forces me to be disciplined and study the material. After an exam, however, I am lucky if I can retain the information and go beyond having something sound familiar. Because this course accentuates another way of learning, it balances my other courses. It allows me to slow down and digest the information. I have been able to think and explore as a historian without the fear of grades looming over me. In addition, the interaction with the readings, classmates, and Dr. D’Haeseleer fulfills my learning experience. The format of blog posts and commenting enables me to showcase what I know and address the points that I find interesting and important. It offers freedom in discussion, empowers students to speak their mind, and replaces the need for exams.

Furthermore, this is my second course with this kind of frequent online discussion style. I feel more confident now, in this class, leaving comments and asking questions than I did in my first course.

While skills and techniques acquired in this course make me a better student in any class, they were specifically helpful my CUE (culminating undergraduate experience) course that I am taking simultaneously this semester. I am a biology major. The CUE course topic is about a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM allows for the 3D viewing of the surface of specimens at a high resolution. There is a semester-long project to create a proposal for an experiment and eventually a primary article that includes the my own photographed SEM images. The project requires reading many, many papers; viewing images, tables, and figures; and interaction with the papers. By interaction, I mean write-ups reflecting on the articles. There is a weekly tracking document due with four sections: an annotated bibliography with at least 200 words, “talking with others,” “identifying the next steps,” and “reflecting on the process.” For the annotated bibliography, I have to pick and choose parts from loads of readings that are relevant and important to my experimental question and state the reason explicitly yet concisely. The annotations mimic our weekly blog posts to find the valuable information. The “talking with others” section encourages me to share where I am currently with the project and helps me refine my project idea(s). These long reflections on the course, not the weekly ones, are similar to the “reflecting on the process” portion of the tracking document. I can sit down and consider the process, such as the challenges, the rewards, and the improvements. In addition, the encouragement (and requirement) to comment helps to speak up both in academic and real life settings.

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hst137

Reflection of Textiles

My experience from this week was definitely different from that of prior weeks. At the start of Week 6, I received all this information about textiles: production, technique, consumption, value, and history. It was a lot to absorb, even now; I am still learning. Throughout the week, I started to pay more attention to my clothes–all different kinds. I looked at my socks, sweaters, T-shirts, blouses, trousers, lounge sets, active wear, pajamas, and more. I stretched and touched the fabric, observing the stretchiness and the technique used to create these pieces of clothing. Compared to other weeks, I was able to include my newfound knowledge about textiles to my daily thoughts.

Furthermore, I learned about the monetary values of certain clothing pieces, depending on the region. I had an obvious realization that I should not interpret the information I learn about early China to all of China. There are likely some discrepancies between regions because while there is a national culture, there is also an equally significant local culture that is unique to each province.

Three Things I Learned this Week

  • Means of yarn production: drop spindle spinning, Navajo spinning, and spinning via the wheel.
  • Different kinds of textiles: simple, complex, and silk.
  • Introduction to dyed textiles; process of degumming.

Bibliographic References

Sheng, Angela. “Determining the Value of Textiles in the Tang Dynasty: In Memory of Professor Denis Twitchett (1925-2006)”. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Third Series, 23, no. 2 (2013): 175-95.

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hst137

Reflection of the Cealed Library and the Tang Era

I was pleasantly surprised while reading and commenting on my classmates’ blog posts. I assumed most would choose Option A–as I did–but according to the posts that I read, the majority of them chose Option B, zooming in on one item and introducing it.

In this course so far, I have been maintaining a broad view, learning across the dynasties (Qin, Shang, etc.), to create connections. While I deem it to be important to keep my mind open and consider things generally, it is equally as important to focus on one thing in order to make a thorough analysis. I read others’ blog posts, so I was given the opportunity to study and learn with a narrow focus. By doing so, I was still able to see relationships, in a different sense. For example, one of the blog posts that struck me made an amazing connection between Tang China and Minecraft via Lapis Lazuli, a precious mineral. Seeing parts of our lives intertwine with history makes us value the learning experience a bit more.

Three Things I Learned this Week

  • Various means of learning, especially zoomed-in and zoomed-out learning.
  • The Library Cave at Dunhuang and the contents found.
  • Tang China relative to the Silk Road and other surroundings.

Bibliographic References

Hansen, Valerie. The Open Empire : A History of China to 1800. Second ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2015.

Hansen, Valerie. The Silk Road : A New History with Documents. New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.

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